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Can dealers offer cars with no warranty?

gord115
gord115 Posts: 1,067 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Combo Breaker
I have just been to look at a car with my son at a newly opened dealers.

As we were looking at the car I asked about the warranty.

The dealer mumbled something about not been allowed to offer one so we walked away.

I thought they had to offer at least 30 days.

Comments

  • marlot
    marlot Posts: 4,956 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    They don't have to offer a warranty.

    They do, however, have obligations under the sale of goods act.
  • Retrogamer
    Retrogamer Posts: 4,218 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Depending on the price paid for the car and the age / mileage on it you're often protected against serious defects under the sales of goods act within the first 6 months.
    All your base are belong to us.
  • bod1467
    bod1467 Posts: 15,214 Forumite
    As #2 above, there is no legal right to expect (or obligation to provide) a warranty for anything. But statutory rights (like SOGA) remain and cannot be contracted out by consumers.

    #3 above is a misunderstanding of what SOGA provides. 6 months is not a time limit, other than defining when the burden of proof (of a fault/issue) switches from seller to buyer.

    http://sogahub.tradingstandards.gov.uk/explained
  • Weird_Nev
    Weird_Nev Posts: 1,383 Forumite
    The warranty offered by most dealerships really isn't worth anything anyway. Look carefully at the list of the exclusions. as a summary you're not going to be covered for:

    Wear and tear: So no tyres, brake pads or discs or most caliper failures, clutch, gearbox, cam belt or Aux belt, shock absorbers or springs, suspension bushings or linkages, steering components. All of these are 'wear' items. I ask you to name any other component that is likely to 'fail' on a car!

    Consequential losses: If your cam belt snaps and destroys the engine, you won't be covered because it's 'wear and tear' and the damage resultant is consequential.

    They often also limit pay outs to £500.

    None of this excludes good will on the part of the dealer, but do not expect to get a new engine out of them due to water pump failure 3 months after purchase. The onus is on the buyer to ensure that the car is in good condition and fit for purpose. If you're not confident in doing that, then get the car inspected, buy an additional and meaningful warranty, or buy new.

    It also depends massively on the price you pay. The level of expectation for a £10k car will be very different from a £500 banger.

    Buyer beware, don't trust car dealers, read the small print and be realistic.
  • arcon5
    arcon5 Posts: 14,099 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Wear and tear is excluded.
    wearable items are not.
    There is a massive difference between the two statements.

    if by the onus is on the consumer you mean the consumers burden of proof then that's misleading
  • Weird_Nev
    Weird_Nev Posts: 1,383 Forumite
    Good luck proving that the brake pads/shock absorbers had failed at time of sale on a £1000 car if you didn't notice it yourself on the test drive. You might get a bit more traction on a £10k car due to good will and level of expectation.

    The onus is on the consumer to ensure that the car is fit for their purposes at time of sale. If you don't how to spot worn brake pads or failed shock absorbers, then you'll be well advised to employ someone who does to complete some checks before you part with money. Ensure that you are happy buying the car you intend to buy AS IS. Don't expect to be able to go back to the dealer with a laundry list of complaints and have them fix them all FOC, especially not wear and tear items.

    Either way, things like cam belts and aux belts and water pumps tend to be quite digital: they're either working or they're not, and if they fail several months after purchase, that is nothing to do with a used car dealer.
  • arcon5
    arcon5 Posts: 14,099 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    edited 22 August 2014 am31 7:46AM
    Firstly within the first 6 months it's the dealer whom has to proof this and that.

    Secondly, your st atement is misleading when you say wear and tear components are not covered. We seem to agree a clutch is a wearable item, but if a dealer for example sells a car advertising as clutch recently replaced, if it then fails 500 miles later the buyer will most likely have rights under soga.

    as said, 'reasonable wear and year's is not covered by soga, but it certainly doesn't exclude wearable components.
  • Guest101
    Guest101 Posts: 15,764 Forumite
    This is interesting for me, as im having problem with my car.

    Purchased in May, problem with a VVT Valave (? shrug) literally days after i took it, returned 3 times in total with this problem.

    Also a problem with the Aux Belt - about 6-8 weeks after purchase - Garage replaced it free of charge.

    2 weeks later it failed again. Causing motorway breakdown etc etc.

    The garage (always been the one i bought it from) have been very awkward with this. After being returned 5 or 6 times for work in space of 10 weeks (given a 3 month 'warranty'), i'd had enough, so i asked for a replacement. Negotiations broke down (the garage wanted me to take a cheaper car and wouldnt pay the difference).

    Now they are getting it repaired without my permission, refuse to tell me where it is so i can take it away and get independent report done on the vehicle, but have admitted they are replacing a number of things (which they expect to charge me for!) and also replacing the VVT Valve for the 4th time!

    Since everything else has failed, im going down the SOGA route. The car was not fit for purpose when purchased. Which is to say a car which would get be consistently from a - b and back.

    Reading this stuff about wear and tear does make sense, and by no means do i expect compenents to be brand new. but what's reasonable wear and tear. (it had 8 months left on MOT and only 1 minor advisory - but i understand that doesnt cover everything)
  • colino
    colino Posts: 5,059 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    OP, are you sure the trader wasn't so new that they weren't yet set up to sell you a warranty?
    However, as has been said, there is no compunction for a trader to offer a warranty, even f you buy one on top of the purchase price of the car, it doesn't relieve him of his statutory obligations.
  • BJV
    BJV Posts: 2,535 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    The theory and reality of warranty is totally different.


    Manufacture warranties are still the best but even these will exclude wear and tear consumable items. They will also have a long list of exclusions.


    Some warranties will pay for a certain item to be replaced but not the time it took to diagnose the problem or any consequential damage caused by the failure of the part.


    For example you know that your wiper blade will wear out and need changing so your warranty will not cover it. Equally you would not expect your electric window switch to fail so it should be.


    Used car warranties vary a lot in what they will and will not cover.


    Depending upon the age of the car that you where looking at even if the garage / trader had offered a warranty it may not of been worth much if anything.


    Sales of goods means that what you buy has to be fit for purpose so there would always be some recall to the trader but getting them to honour it can be a different story. Or at best long winded.


    When it comes to buying a used car in most cases it really is a case of pay your money and take your chance.
    Happiness, Health and Wealth in that order please!:A
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